Sustained Opportunities for Nutrition Governance

The Action emphasizes the importance of sustained governance as a primary outcome and a pre-condition to achieve other outcomes that are based on three interlinked pillars or pathways (as per the UNICEF Conceptual Framework on Undernutrition and used in 2008 & 2013 Lancet Series):

HH food and nutrition security (including availability, economic access and use of food)
Feeding and caregiving resources and practices (including maternal, HH and community levels) and
Access to and use of health services as well as a safe and hygienic environment (i.e. food, care and health)

While availability and accessibility of nutritious and safe food at HH level is a precondition for improved nutrition it does not automatically lead to improved nutrition among all HH members. Lack of nutrition, health and WASH related knowledge, attitudes and practices as well as intra-HH dynamics often impede nutrition improvement. Evidence has also shown that the extent to which women have access to and control over productive resources, time, knowledge and social support networks largely determine their own nutritional status and the kind of care they provide for their children and for the rest of the HH. The nutritional status of a woman before and during pregnancy has a direct impact on the development and nutritional status of her baby. Malnutrition increases the risk of low birth weight and undernutrition during infancy.
To address child undernutrition fully, the Action will employ nutrition-specific as well as nutrition-sensitive interventions through a life-cycle approach to deliver the right services and messages to the right person at the right time. The implementation will incorporate a Social and Behavior Change (SBC) strategy, using multiple approaches, ranging from interpersonal communication (such as counselling by health workers) to mass media (such as radio campaigns).

The approach is based on proven and evolving experiences taking into account the importance of pre-conditions to address e.g. dimensions of availability and access to food as well as the required synergy between interventions and actors at various levels. Interventions will focus on mobilizing and coaching target groups as well as local public, private and development actors to collectively take the necessary actions towards improved nutrition.